Super Bowl IV

Super Bowl Sunday arrived chilly and overcast, with a sellout crowd of 80,562 watching in Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. From early in the game, it was clear that the contest was a mismatch, but not the way the odds- makers had expected. Kansas City’s massive tackles, Buck Buchanan and Curley Culp, took turns lining up over the nose of Vikings’ All-NFL center Mick Tingelhoff, dominating the line of scrimmage and holding the Vikings to just 27 yards rushing in the first half. Meanwhile, Kansas City was smartly moving the ball on the ground and through the air.

The Chiefs also took advantage of the Vikings’ pursuit by springing Frank Pitts on three end- around plays, all of which earned crucial first downs. Three Jan Stenerud field goals gave the Chiefs a 9-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff after the third field goal, Stenerud’s high kick was mishandled

by Vikings returner Charlie West, and the Chiefs Remi Prudhomme recovered the fumble. Six plays later, with third-and-goal at the Vikings 5-yard-line, Stram sent wide receiver Gloster Richardson in with the call “65 Toss Power Trap.” Len Dawson, receiving the message, looked puzzled and asked Richardson if he was sure that’s what Stram wanted. “We hadn’t even practiced that play, much less run it, in a long, long time,” Dawson said later. But with key blocks from Fred Arbanas and Ed Budde, Garrett skated in for the first touchdown of the game, and the Chiefs carried a decisive 16-0 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Vikings marched 69 yards to cut the lead to 16-7. But the Chiefs put the game effectively out of reach on the next drive. After an unnecessary roughness penalty moved the ball to the Minnesota 46, Dawson called a safe outlet pass to Otis

Stenerud opened the scoring with three field goals, then Garrett broke the game open with his second-quarter touchdown run.

Taylor. It was the perfect call against the Vikings’ all-out blitz; Taylor broke the tackle of Earsell Mackbee, and raced down the sideline. Vikings safety Karl Kassulke had the angle on him, but Taylor faked inside, causing Kassulke to hesitate, then accelerated toward the end zone, giving the Chiefs a 23-7 lead they held the rest of the way.

Kansas City’s defense intercepted Vikings quarterbacks three times in the fourth quarter-giving the defense 10 interceptions on the postseason- and a hard tackle by Aaron Brown knocked Minnesota quarterback Joe Kapp out of the game. Kapp would remark later that “the Chiefs’ defensive line looked like a redwood forest. They took the running game away from us.” A decade after founding the American Football League, Lamar Hunt saw his own team crowned as champions of the world.

“the Chiefs’ defensive line looked like a redwood forest. They took the running game away from us.”

The original Super Bowl series, AFL vs. NFL, ended in a 2-2 tie, with parity between the two leagues that would come together the following season. That meant that on the afternoon of January 11, 1970, the American Football League had finally earned the respect it deserved. At the very moment it ceased to exist.

Coach Hank Stram lifted by his teammates in the momentous post-game celebration.